A recent book detailing Mitch Daniels’ near-presidential campaign makes it clear that Cheri Daniels and their kids were the biggest factor in the former governor opting against a run for the White House. As speculation swirls about a potential Mike Pence presidential run, Indiana Public Broadcasting’s Brandon Smith talked to Indiana First Lady Karen Pence about what she thinks about the issue.
Hoosier First Lady Karen Pence says the struggles of being a family in politics are something she thinks about.
Mrs. Pence notes that she and her husband sat with Michelle Obama at a dinner in recent months and discussed the difficulties of even seemingly small things.
“She said ‘Right now, we’re trying to figure out how to do driver’s ed.’ Well how do you do driver’s ed from the White House? She said, ‘Do I have the Secret Service drive with them? How do we even set that up?’” Pence said. “So there are a lot of struggles and when you’re in that national spotlight, there are things that are difficult to get used to.”
Mrs. Pence says the prospect of a presidential run is as much a testament to the recent success of Indiana. But she notes her husband isn’t focused on it.
“It always comes up when other people mention it, let me put it that way,” Pence said. “It’s not something that we say, ‘Hey let’s sit down and talk about running for president.’”
Governor Pence says he will discuss the notion with his family and announce his decision sometime after the 2015 legislative session.
